2 Year Old sleep help with newborn due soon.

[DeathMetalMum]

Hi, Just looking for a few ideas really. 2yo Dd luckily sleeps well once she is asleep. Currently we sit with her until ahe goes to sleep. Ususally this would take up to 30 minutes with her being in bed between 7.30-7.45 and settling between 8-8.30. The past week she isnt falling until 9ish I'm pretty sure this is because she is ready to drop her nap. Saturday she took 1h30 to settle at night. She normally wakes 6.30-7ish but has been waking 7.15 ish with falling asleep later. 11 hours at night is generally her max.

Here is the problem dc2 is due in 7 weeks. I am by myself in the evenings as dp is at work he does bedtime the one night he is off. I'm not sure how this is all going to work I feel like I need to make sure I'm not in the room when she goes to sleep but as I have never managed to actually move as initially was supposed to do gradual withdrawal I'm a but clueless really. I think me sitting in dd's room with a newborn is obviously going to disturb her. Any suggestions of what I can do?

[DeathMetalMum]

Dd is still in a cot btw.

[binkybonk]

No help at all, but this is me!! Except DC2 due on Friday...!!
Aaaarrgggh!!! I am hoping that like all other baby issues I have worried about, it will just 'sort itself out' accidental parenting alert but will keep an eye on here for tips

[DeathMetalMum]

Maybe you could update me with how you get on as it appears no one else has any advice!

[haloflo]

Hiya does she sleep well when she doesn't nap? My 22mo DD doesn't you see - often being awake for an hour plus in the night without a nap. If she can cope all night without a nap then it might be time to drop it at least some days.

Have you messed about with timings? Shorter/longer nap? Up by 1.30/2? Messed about with waking her earlier in the morning or putting her down later in the evening?

Annoying my DD tends to sleep best when we put her to bed at 8 and she falls asleep at 9. We have to return to pop her seahorse musical toy on every 5/10 minutes but at least I can sit on my bed.

She naps 1-3 and often wakes between 7 and 8 (I wake her at 8 if she is still asleep)

With self settling we just started leaving her tbh as we used to sit with her. If she got upset we went to reassure. If one night she was upset we might sit with her and then try again the next night. She still cries on and off in the hour but is silent for most of it and its a moany cry rather than an upset one - again we go in to reassure. The annoying thing is she goes to bed happily - I can't really understand why it takes so long for her to fall asleep. Im thinking about toys in the cot so she can amuse herself before sleep but worry that will keep her awake. Could this work for you?

Good luck!

[haloflo]

Ignore everything I said about self settling. DD wants me with her or crys hysterically. She is dropping off after about 20 mins though...

[redandwhitesprinkles]

We had this and cracked it when dd was 2.9. We used a reward chart and talking books. We read a story, put cd on leave. We do go back after 10 mins (we promised so do it). And she just accepted it. We did her about a week before we did it that we had a plan-had to be a big girl, etc.

[MadamGazelleIsMyMum]

In the same boat, but DC2 is 13 weeks. Up until now it has been ok, as DH would settle DC1 and I would feed DC2. Last night DH worked. We were all three in tears. Eventually DC2 fell asleep so I could get DC1 to sleep. But the whole thing took 3 hours. We need to be able to leave DC1 in her own bed to go to sleep, after story and cuddles. But how to get to that place?

[AmandaNov10]

Oh my goodness Ladies, me too, and I am at my wits end! DC2 due in 8 wks, and sitting with DC1 for an hour sometimes more. She is in a bed so she just gets up, comes to the gate at her door and crys, screams blah, blah, you know the rest! She also gets up at 5:45, we bought a gro clock which worked a treat at first but now novelty seems to have worn off!! She naps from 1-3 so I'm thinking of making this an hour then waking her to see how this helps. Also I was thinking about talking books, we've got done CD's we listen to in the car but don't actually have a CD player in the house so need to buy a cheep one and give it a try. I think DH thinks oh, here she goes needs to buy something else that will be the answer to all sleep problems, but is actually a total waste of money! Me, I'll try anything!!! Totally stressed about what I'm going to do with DC2 whilst I'm sitting there for hours plus with DC1!! Ahh! Let's keep each other posted on our progress! Please, all good ideas welcome!! Xxxx

[AmandaNov10]

Just reading my post back, not thinking about maybe making naps an hour, I am doing it, TOMORROW!! I'm shattered, low iron levels, and when she naps I nap, but I have the will power, I will wake her after an hour!!! Xxx

[DeathMetalMum]

Thanks for the replies. Naps are pretty much sorted we are dropping them but she can't go two days without a nap. And we limit the naps to 1h30 except today when we all fell asleep for 2 hours. We have also had earlier wakings 6-6.30 but we have had phases of that before just have to get used to it again.

Dp is off for the week next week dd is 2! We are thinking of doing something along the lines of trying to get her to settle alone but no idea what. I have just over 5 weeks left though now and feel like I am slowly running out of time and paitence to do anything about it.

[AmandaNov10]

We had a really successful night last night. Not saying it will EVER happen again, but for what it is worth this is what I did. DD woke at 5:45, I got back into bed with her 'till Mr Sunshine was on her clock at 6:45, then we got up, she didn't actually sleep between 5:45 and 6:45. My plan was basically to get her totally shattered! We went to mother and toddlers, walk there and back, had lunch, then hour and half nap, I woke her she was grumpy and wanted to go back to sleep but I got her up. We played for a bit then we played in the garden for an hour, more playtime, dinner, then quiet playtime, then usual bath time routine. She was shattered! Got her into bed, I red the story then she reads it to me, cuddled in then I told her I was going to put my PJ's on, I'd be in Mummy's room, I'd leave her door open (gate closed) and I'd be right back. She had a wee think about following me and I said, no, mummy is going to..... Same again, then firmly said I'll leave the door open and I'll be back in a minute. I did exactly that then went back with PJ's on, I gave her a cuddle and held her hand for a few minutes, I could see she was shattered and nearly asleep, so I gave her a wee kiss and said I'll come and see you in a minute, went down stairs and she went to sleep! Woke up at 6:45 with Mr Sunshine! Happy days!

It's usually TV and coffee in the mornings in our house till I wake up, but this morning since 6:45 we've been full on playing, operation get DD shattered again is on!

[binkybonk]

Hi there ladies, so DS2 is 4 days old and I'm already regretting being too tired and pregnant and lazy to sort this out before he was born... So I wanted to still put DS1 to bed now even though DH on paternity leave because I thought he'd need some consistency as I usually do it. But then despite trying our best with timing, DS2 wants me because he's so new! So either I'm in with DS1 hearing DS2 cry or vice versa and we are all stressed
So if you have a couple of weeks before your due date- do something!! We are now stuck as can't really introduce even the softest variations of self settling when his world is already topsy turvy... So it'll have to wait and when DH is back at work, and not back for bedtimes anymore god knows what'll happen... Aaaahhhh!!!! Saving grace is DS1 sleeps all night and wakes at 6.30 or so- it's just the evenings. Any super tips for a quick transition to bed alone? Otherwise it's going to be some bastardised version of gradual retreat I think...
Oh to be an organised parent...!